Frank Sikon

About Frank Sikon

Senior procurement professional with over 28 years of experience in the Aerospace industry. I have had a progressive career that started as a Tool and Die Maker, promoted to tooling design/engineering before I transitioned into a series of commercial roles. These roles included Product and Tooling Analyst/ Estimator, and marketing assistant. I then moved to procurement where I held roles of senior buyer, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Procurement Operations Manager, and then promoted to my current role, Director of Procurement Operations. I provide technical manufacturing bench-strength to our procurement organization specializing in tooling, metals, and manufacturing processes. I am responsible for the procurement of goods and services totaling $600M annually. I provide procurement strategy oversight to the Howmet HSS locations. Skills/Strengths:• Journeyman Tool & Die Maker/Machinist capable understanding drawings/blueprints• Experience working in heavy industrial environments• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite / Oracle & SAP ERP Systems / Ariba Sourcing Platform• Skilled communicator and networker with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and customers• Effective program/supplier manager and continuous improvement coordinator (Kaizens)• Excellent negotiator and price/cost/spend analyst and strategist (SOW and RFQ/RFP)• Approachable manager with strong leadership and integrity values• Good business acumen and understanding of financial goals and metrics• Experience supporting operations with union work forces• Full understanding of ITAR regulations• Familiar with FAR/DFARS compliance and subcontracting plans (SAM.gov) and CMMC requirements• US CitizenCareer Highlights:2024 Implementation of autonomous AI sourcing program for MRO storeroom supplies (11% Savings)2022 Indirect Spend Kaizen- I planned, coordinated, and led an all-day brainstorming workshop at the Cleveland plant to find ways to spend less on indirect spend services and goods by $4M. It resulted in 46 employees participating in (6) groups contribution to $4.49M on actionable actions. 2017 Supplier Summits – I led the Cleveland procurement team to host a 2-day supplier summit for Cleveland’s top MRO suppliers with an annual spend of $4.8M. The event achieved an average reduction of 6%($290K) from the $4.8M annual spend of these 25 suppliers.2016 Alcoa Advantage Diamond Award Winner – I coordinated and ran supplier Kaizens across our business unit’s large locations (CLE, LAF, SAV, & PHX). These kaizens covered $59M of spend and fostered $4.7M of savings (8% savings).

Experience

1. Director of Procurement Operations

   Howmet Aerospace

   Nov 2024 — Present · Cleveland, OH, US

   Lead the procurement operation teams for the Howmet Structure Systems locations. Leverage bench-marked best practices in the management of the company\'s spend, sourcing strategy, compliance, and overall purchasing processes across all the locations.

Education

• Indiana Wesleyan University

  BS, Business Management

  2003 — 2007

• Indiana Wesleyan University

  MBA, Management

  2007 — 2009

• Cuyahoga Community College

  State Certified Tool & Die Maker, Manufacturing Technologies

  1988 — 1992

• Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University

  Certificate, Financial Decision-Making

  2010 — 2011

Skills

• Continuous Improvement
• Manufacturing
• Cost
• Management
• Pricing
• Purchasing
• Lean Manufacturing
• Process Improvement
• Operations Management
• Kaizen
• Product Development
• Team Building
• Contract Negotiation
• Strategic Planning
• Cost Management
• Dependable Team Player
• Die Cutting
• Continuous Process Improvement Initiatives
• Customer Support
• Strategic Sourcing
• Logistics
• Supply Chain
• 5s
• Sourcing
• Manufacturing Operations Management
• Global Sourcing
• Automotive
• Supply Management
• Procurement
• Aerospace
• Sales Management
• Engineering
• Process Engineering
• Supply Chain Management
• Project Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Machining
• Strategy